Surging Giants Overcame Start

Henry Schulman, Chronicle Staff Writer

Published
4:00 am PDT, Tuesday, July 11, 2000

The Giants did what they needed to do. After a 4-11 start that placed their much-hyped talent into question, they elevated their game. Since April 21, nobody in the majors besides the Chicago White Sox has played better.

After falling into fourth place in the National League West as recently as May 28, when they were nine games behind division-leading Arizona, they have surged into striking position. They are a Mack truck growing ever larger in the Diamondbacks' rearview mirror.

The big question, of course, is can they finish the job? Can the most talented Giants team since the 103-win wonders of 1993 live up to the high expectations they set for themselves and emerge on top of the most competitive division in baseball?

"I think we're all waiting to see how good is good," said gen eral manager Brian Sabean, who set the expectation bar as high as anybody. "Hopefully, we won't have a seven- or eight-game losing streak. Hopefully, we can win more on the road and establish ourselves in our division.

"I think the unfinished business is finding out how good we can be, given our horrible start and the fact that we've been inconsistent really the whole way," Sabean said.

Consistency.

If there has been one word dissected more than any other inside the Giants' clubhouse this season, that is it. The Giants have developed a reputation as scrappers who persevere through adversity. They would like to graduate beyond that, to the point where they eliminate those tough losses and win series after series.

They understand they are very fortunate to be where they are, given how tightly they clutched the .500 level for most of the first half before lead-footing the throttle in the last nine games.

"I don't think you want to look back. You want to look forward," pitcher Mark Gardner said. "We could have been really out of this race early if anybody had taken charge and run away with it. Nobody's done that. I think it shows how close all these teams are."

Two weeks into the season, the Giants looked shell-shocked. They lost their first six games at Pacific Bell Park, and the fans started rallying for a return to Candlestick. Furthermore, the offense wasn't driving in runs at crucial junctures, and the team looked like road kill away from home.

The transformation from losers to winners was rooted in the talent of the team. For the first time in the Baker era, the Giants have a rotation with four pitchers -- Livan Hernandez, Shawn Estes, Joe Nathan and Kirk Rueter -- who can be expected to win each start. The fifth guy, Russ Ortiz, might have the best stuff of the bunch.

Meanwhile, Sabean's efforts to build a solid lineup by securing key players with long-term contracts bore fruit. The Giants hit nearly .300 as a team in the first half and actually led the National League in batting average, besting even Colorado. The Giants were also third in homers (127), even though Pac Bell yields among the fewest.

Barry Bonds (.309, 28 HRs) and Jeff Kent (.355, 23 HRs, 85 RBIs) had much to do with all that, but this was not a two-man show.

Leadoff hitter Marvin Benard deftly described what fate awaited opposing pitchers in the first half.

"If I get on, Billy (Mueller) moves me over and Barry's hitting," Benard said. "He's got good enough eyes, so pitchers are going to pick, pick, pick, pick, and the next thing you know he's on base and Jeff's back there foaming at the mouth.

"If Jeff doesn't do it, you've got Ellis. If Ellis doesn't do it, J.T. is next," Benard said. To that progression he can now add Rich Aurilia, who has finally gotten hot again in the seven hole.

At the same time, the starters coalesced, particularly at Pac Bell, where the Giants own the league's best home ERA at 3.42 and have gone 26-8 since April 30.

The weakest link in the first half was the bullpen. Although closer Robb Nen had a solid first half, and setup man Felix Rodriguez was spectacular, the trouble came in getting the ball to those two. John Johnstone had a terrible first half and Alan Embree's was only slightly better. Rookie Aaron Fultz emerged as a left-handed force, but lately he has experienced growing pains.

Swingman Gardner, the long man when he's in the pen, was asked if it was fair to pin some of the first-half inconsistency on the 'pen.

"It's probably a fair statement, but it's not the whole reason," Gardner said. "There have been times when the starting pitching hasn't come through, and there have been times when the offense hasn't come through.

"On the whole, we were beating people by six or seven runs and the bullpen wasn't getting a lot of work," Gardner said. "I think in the past when the bullpen was doing the job, we were getting more opportunities and staying sharp. This year it's kind of a different scenario. The starters were going deep in the game and the relievers weren't getting the work they needed.

"Then again," Gardner said, "when you're in there, you have to do the job. At some point this year, we weren't doing the job."

Baker is hoping Johnstone and Embree can prosper in the second half, if only to take some pressure off of Rodriguez, who already has pitched in 44 games. The way Sabean talks, the chances of bolstering the bullpen via trade are slim, given the imbalance between supply and demand that is inflating the price for talented pitchers.

In fact, Sabean sounded pessimistic about consummating any significant deals for that reason. Plus, he said he has no plans to deal away guys like Nen, Burks and Rueter as insurance against their departures as potential free agents come October.

Even without an infusion of outside talent, the Giants' future in the second half, their bid to return to the playoffs for the first time since 1997, looks bright. But it hinges on the health of Bonds and Kent, Kent's ability to sustain his remarkable RBI output, more valuable innings and victories from the starters and the bullpen holding its own.

"I think we're all disappointed we didn't get off to as good a start as we wanted to, but we also knew what kind of team we had," Sabean said. "I think patience became a virtue, to let everybody play through their slumps, pitch through their slumps.

"The 4-11 start," he said, "seems like a long time ago, a season ago, really."

GIANTS REPORT CARD

-- Offense: With Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent leading the charge, Giants bats have surpassed expectations, especially on the road. -- Defense: The team has tightened up considerably, but problems afield cost the team a few crucial games early. -- Pitching: Unfortunately for the starters, who own Pacific Bell Park, the bullpen drags the overall grade down. -- Grade: B